


In the End

by iLurked



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, post 1x20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-10
Packaged: 2018-01-24 05:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1594040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iLurked/pseuds/iLurked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the end, it was ridiculously easy to bring down Hydra, especially after the Avengers stepped in voluntarily. However, the presence of the Avengers notwithstanding, it was a lowly biochemist who had cut off the head of the Centipede.</p><p>Unfortunately, the last statement was not figurative.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the End

In the end, it was ridiculously easy to bring down Hydra, especially after the Avengers stepped in voluntarily.

It was Romanoff who first intervened. Really, Garrett was courting disaster by his careless namedropping and (completely unjustified) comparisons. When the Russian spy got wind of how the Clairvoyant was bragging about his protégée who was better than Fury’s Black Widow, it became a point of honor for her to prove him wrong.

Where the Black Widow was, Hawkeye was sure to follow. Barton fought like a madman during the final battle, as if to make up for his absence during Hydra’s initial unmasking.

Captain America was also present, ready to finally finish what he had started. He was followed by the awe-inspiring sight of the Falcon and the new and improved Winter Soldier.

Thor came in at the tail end of the fight, unwilling to be left out from the promise of a great battle (not that the enemy soldiers, super-powered they may be, presented much of a challenge, but they were better than nothing). Thank the gods that Darcy was able to nag information from her S.H.I.E.L.D. contact (a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. rocket scientist ex-boyfriend).

Alarmed at the ongoing state of war, the U.S. Air Force requested the Iron Patriot to protect the interests and to ensure the safety of the United States of America. Iron Man followed because he could not let his best friend have all the fun, could he? Iron Man dragged with him a kicking a screaming Bruce Banner, who waited until the last possible moment before he let the Big Guy out.

The presence of the Avengers notwithstanding, it was a lowly biochemist who had cut off the head of the Centipede.

Unfortunately, the last statement was not figurative.

...

The first thing he saw when he arrived at the cargo bay door was the body of his mentor sprawled on the ground. He chalked it up to surprise that it took him a moment to figure out what was wrong: Garrett’s head laid a couple of feet away from his body, severed from the neck.

As if in a daze, Ward moved towards Garrett and crouched. He did not know what he was doing, really. Was he checking to see if Garrett was really dead? The fact that he was in two pieces seemed to be a no-brainer.

Ward supposed he was in a state of shock. He had imagined what it would be like if Garrett did not survive the war with S.H.I.E.L.D.; how he would be prostrate with grief; how he would vow revenge to his last dying breath.

Surprisingly, he felt nothing.

He must be more messed up than he originally thought.

A soft clanging sound from his left grabbed Ward’s attention. Quick reflexes had him turning towards the sound, his guns at the ready.

He was surprised to see Agent Jemma Simmons. The warmth and happiness that usually radiated from her were gone, replaced by hysteria, shock, and sorrow. There was something slightly unhinged about the biochemist, which was understandable considering that she had been trapped in the cargo bay with the mentally unstable, and now beheaded, Clairvoyant.

Since it was Simmons, Ward allowed his guard to relax a tad.

The clanging sound on the floor? A white cylindrical device the size of a cigarette, probably the weapon used to separate Garrett’s head from his body. Ward surmised that it was one of Fitz’s invention, capable of immediately cauterising the wound on the severed neck. That was the only explanation he could think of that would explain the lack of spilled blood.

It was also strangely symbolic, how the life of one of Hydra’s figureheads was snuffed by beheading.

A choked sobbed escaped from the biochemist’s throat.

“Simmons?” He tried to ask her as calmly as possible. “Who did this to Garrett?” He realised that he was still pointing his weapons at her, so he sheathed them, to ease her fear so that she could tell him what had happened.

“I’m sorry,” Simmons cried out as she tried backing away from him. However, unless she developed the power of walking through walls, she was stuck with him.

The invisible fist that reached out and squeezed his heart was a surprise. Ward thought that he had hardened himself from the sight of his former team—of his former friends—shrinking away from him, looking at him with hurt, fear, and hatred, but he was so wrong.

“I told him to go away and to not touch me. He wouldn’t listen. Why wouldn’t he listen?” By the last sentence, Simmons’ voice had reached a high, hysterical pitch.

She was the one who killed the Clairvoyant? With all the superheroes, insane men in metal suits, and highly-trained S.H.I.E.L.D. killing machines running amok in the bus and in the base, it was a non-field certified scientist who brought Garrett down?

That would explain the look of shock frozen on Garrett’s face.

“It’s over, Simmons,” he said softly, trying to calm her down.

She, however, didn’t seem to hear him.

“Are you here to kill me?” She asked, then nodded and closed her eyes. “It’s okay. I just want this to end.”

It was only then that Ward took note of the state of the biochemist.

“Jesus, Simmons,” he tried grasping for her arm, but she shook him off violently. “What happened to you?”

She had busted lips; contusions on her neck; long, deep cuts on both her arms; and she was probably injured somewhere on her torso, considering the blood on her shirt and the puddle of red on her feet.

“I didn’t mean to kill him, Ward,” then she started crying, big fat tears running down her face. She also kept repeating, “I’m so sorry.”

Against his training and his indoctrination, Ward tried to gather Simmons in his arms, in an attempt to lend her comfort, touched by the uncharacteristic brokenness she was exhibiting. He wanted to move heaven and earth to make her better.

Unfortunately, she refused to accept anything from him.

“No,” she struggled against him, slapping at his hands and pushing him away. “Don’t touch me! Stay away! Stay away!”

More unfortunate still, it was at that time that three staunch S.H.I.E.L.D. supporters burst into the scene.

“Son,” Captain America called out. “Step away from the agent.”

Ward calculated the risks of fighting his way through them, but he highly doubted he could fight off Captain America one-on-one, never mind that his backup consisted of a pissed-off Black Widow and a trigger-happy Hawkeye.

That Ward was mentally working out the odds of his survival was not lost on the Black Widow who undoubtedly recognised Grant Ward from his files. The expression on her face told him that she was not impressed.

Heretofore unknown survival skills had Ward dropping his weapons and raising his hands before slowly backing away from Simmons.

Hawkeye immediately scampered towards the scientist. “Simmons,” he tried to calm her down by gently tapping her cheeks to no avail. Frowning, he reached behind him and grabbed one of his arrows. “Jemma, I’m going to inject you with a sedative, alright?”

Ward watched in fierce concentration as Barton pierced Simmons’ skin with the arrowhead.

In increments, Simmons started calming down.

“You’ll be okay,” Barton assured her as he assisted her to lie down on the floor so that he could take stock of her injuries.

“She’s in good hands,” Romanoff told Ward who did not notice her movements, so absorbed he was at Simmons’ condition. “Hands behind your back.”

Ward immediately acquiesced, but his attention was still on the biochemist even as he was cuffed.

Barton cut off Simmons' blouse revealing a gaping wound that he tried to staunch. Somewhere from behind them, Captain America radioed for medical support.

“Let’s go,” Romanoff told Ward as she began leading him out, presumably to be transported to a place where he would await either execution or trial, depending upon how forgiving a mood the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. officers were.

“Wait!”

Romanoff stopped, giving Ward no choice but to stop also.

“He saved me,” Simmons struggled to sit up, but a firm hand on her shoulder discouraged movement. “Ward saved me and killed Garrett.”

Ward looked at Simmons in surprise, but she refused to meet anyone’s eyes. She was such a lousy liar. He knew nobody believed her, but no one said anything.

Barton and Romanoff locked eyes and exchanged silent communication.

“I’ll make a note of that in my report, agent.” The Captain finally stated, his voice reassuring. “But for now, conserve your strength.”

The biochemist nodded her head and closed her eyes, satisfied that the Avengers would take care of everything.

Romanoff gave Ward a push to encourage him to start moving. It wasn’t until she had secured him in a vehicle minutes that she spoke again.

“She’s giving you a gift.” She finally whispered to him, not unsympathetically.

He then remembered the rumours surrounding the Black Widow, how she was S.H.I.E.L.D. enemy number one, singled out for assassination by the Hawkeye. However, instead of killing her, Barton had brought her to the United States and declared her his newest recruit.

“Not all of us get a second chance,” she continued. “You would be a fool to waste it.”


End file.
